Evaluation

As the most influential part of the course in my opinion was the use of lighting and how it could create a mood for the piece also developing the narrative, I felt that the interior scene scripted would be the crucial part in which we would utilise this film making technique as the environment could be heavily manipulated by use of lighting installations and camera deception. In one of the later lessons we varied the lighting setup using Dedo lights on a single character sitting at a desk, from this I gained a better understanding of how multiple lights could be used to highlight certain areas of the character to suggest a mood. In the recent lectures we also talked about how gels could be used to further the intended atmosphere which resulted in our production using a heavy amount of blue filters. In our final piece we used a total of 5 Dedo lights to light our scene involving two characters, two Dedo lamps would be designated to each of the protagonists how used in a contrasting manor for narrative benefit. The remaining Dedo lamp was suspended above the table in which the characters sat at, for this light I personally added a layer of two blue gels as I felt that the single gel didn't provide sufficient level of blue. After a conversation with the lecturer I possibly learnt the most important few crucial camera settings I should always abide to when filming, these were as follows; always shoot at 50 shutter speed, shoot only at fixed focal lengths and never go in between these solid increments when composing a shot. these settings were of course carried out in the filming of our production.

Setting out to create a film the with four must have shots I feel that we have accomplished these goals in respect to that area of the production as the cinematography throughout the piece is strong and delivers in terms of this criteria.The long take is one of the stronger parts of the film as it involves a number of elements that have been considered prior and during filming, in particular the way in which it feels very choreographed and theatrical rather than realist, even though it utilises a long take which is predominantly used in realist film making. This idea of theatricalness is implicit from the outset of the shot, the killer walks into the already tracking frame through the almost ostentatious archway feature seen previously and towards the awaiting drug dealer, after the murder of the drug dealer the killer exits frame to the left simultaneously cueing Brad the convicted jogger suspect who appears from the right of the frame which then follows on to signal the tracking back motion as he walks towards the camera. The whole symmetrical nature of the environment complements this use of choreography serving as a stage for the two characters. This trend of surreal motifs is also present in the interrogation room scene with Brad (the suspect/jogger) and the detective, as mentioned previously we used a five point light set up to achieve our desired aesthetic which was a dark and high key lit scene. The characters sit at a wooden table with an ever present over head light that illuminates the centre of the table which they lean into, rather than telling the actors when to lean into the light I explained to them that whenever they felt that the lines urged them to move forward into the frame they should do so, I felt that this technique would produce a more natural performance from the actors, also the way in which I had set the cameras up allowed them to move about without causing problems with the focus, to do this I avoided working with apertures lower than 2.8. The most successful of shots within this scene are the shots of the detective, in particular the initial reverse shot of him where he is sat back with the Dedo on his left shoulder just lighting the creases in his shirt at this point his face is hidden by the lack of light until he motions forward. The above light in front of him lights the documents and his hands that flick through the paper briefly, this lack of light on him develops his character, with his identity concealed he uses his authority over convicted Brad avoid the truth as it were. This lack of light contrasts with the lighting on Brad as we see him lit more highly which helps to introduce pressure making Brad's experience feel more exposed and uncomfortable. The difference in heights between the two reverse over the shoulder shots create a contrasting alternation between the characters, my shot framing the detective is shot at a low angle which alleviates pressure as we engage on his level, however the reverse shot framing Brad is at a noticeably elevated angle reflecting the detectives power over him in the conversation, though this idea works in theory I feel that the two shots may have worked better if they were both shot at the same angle and to build tension we used more cropped in framing, as personally it tends to feel as though the framing has been poorly arranged despite the idea being there. Other negative aspects of the scene would be the lighting continuity between the wide establishing shot and the reverse shots, this is less noticeable on Brad's shots as he is lit much like the establishing wide nevertheless the detective is far too lit in the wide which tends to ruin his ominous reverse shot as we have already seen him in full character, the two shot in my opinion is also too highly lit which retracts the abstractness from what could potentially be a well lit shot much like the others in the scene. The overhead shot I feel could have been used as an alternative to the 2 shot as it fails to bring further depth into the scene, rather it tends to abstract the simplicity of what to could be a very contemporary minimalist sequence, however the lighting is accurate in relation to the establishing two shot. The strongest point of the scene is the lighting change as the detective throws the evidence bag in front of Brad, with the light narrowing into a spot light. Originally I set about arranging the light change to incorporate Brad either spotlighting him or placing him in an opaque ibis to illustrate his vulnerability in the murder case, though the lighting we accomplished worked very well. The idea of using a spot light in this scene was something I had been interested in doing after watching 'American Beauty' numerous times, my inspiration from this film is taken from one of Lester's fantasy moments where his emotions are heightened when he intimately watches his daughters cheer leading group in the school. The use of surreal lighting and music suggest Lester's empty life as he sits alone in the gymnasium light directly from above, he's vulnerable surrounded by a mass of vacant seating. There is no dialogue in the scene however the lighting change and score develop an idea clearly purely through symbolic ambience. The Dedo light was perfect for imitating this concept as it provides a powerful sharp projection of light that can be altered in spread, to achieve our take on this concept we used the dropping of the evidence bag as a cue to pull back the bulb in its casing, the final position of the Dedo when set back was appropriate for the size of the mise-en-scene it needed to light.

In my analysis of 'Blade Runner' I highlighted Ridley Scot's use of noir style lighting in the interview scenes involving Deckard where a kick light cats a strong outline on the edges of the characters faces, with the majority of the face under lit. The lighting style suggests that there is light shone through a window or reflected towards the character as they sit hidden with light escaping on to their faces. The noir/blade runner style of under lit environments does loosely relate to our idea that one of protagonist is avoiding detection, (detective johnson – the real murderer). Much like how the citizens of the city in Blade Runner are constantly observed by passing ships and watchful overseers.

In this screen grab to the left we see the detective sitting back in the darkness of the shot, looking back at this scene I feel that he should have retained this postion throughout as it gives off a stronger sense of the characters power of Brad, his laid back attitude would have worked well to suggest his confidence that he would get away with the murder, subsequently it could connote his fear of his exposure to the light in fear (symbolically) of being ratted out. His face could have also been lit from the side much like Rachel in Blade Runner, a possible alternative. 

In terms of tracking shots used within our film I felt that they were used at the right time, the choice of using a track for the long take is a perfect example of how two shots can complement one another. The lucid forward and then back tracking motion in our film through the archway serves as a driving force of the narrative as it progresses at an unnatural pace momentarily, as we see the murder take place and Brad join the scene at crossing invalls. However in the review session the audience fel that the revealing CU shot of the detective killing the drug dealer wasn't necessary, i agree in all respects as the long tracking motions aesthetic is diminished by the cut, a way of avoiding this would have been to move the killers exit route through the archway so that his identity could be revealed through the same shot rather than breaking the motion.   

The POV shots used in our film were shot using a fisheye lens, initially the suggestion of using the lens sounded a viable choice to shoot the POV shots however watching the footage back I retract my positive view on the lens, I feel that its use in our film ruins the overall aesthetic which has comprised of tracks and static shots which together provide a clean cut film image. Avoiding the use of the lens to shoot the POV's we could have shot them from an outsiders perspective another possible witness to the murder case, these shots could have been taken from a distance or we possibly could have introduced these POV's as a false perspective, seem from an uncredited eye.

As a group for this project we all worked well together and everyone put in effort in constructing the film. From the initial stages we divided the scenes of the film up so that everyone could storyboard a scene or part of a scene, we would then post these on the facebook so that any conflicting ideas towards a shared scene could be resolved. 

Newton Thomas Sigel - Drive

The elevator scene in drive is a perfect example of an emotive lighting change creating something symbolic to develop both the character and help to carry the narrative without use of dialogue. Initially the lights flood the characters clothing mainly from the top of the lift and subtlety from the light seen in the lift, which then fade out shading Ryan Gosling and the assassin however Carey Mulligan is picked out in the corner with an over head light, Ryan Gosling then enters this light with her sharing a kiss, a final goodbye motif from the director as the scene takes a dark turn. As the light fades a sound track is introduced and the film is in slow motion removing the two from present time as they share a romantic  moment before Gosling's character descends further in a violence streak. The golden light is a unconventional choice opposed to a more conventional red that would in some ways imply a similar tone. Though the gold represents unique twist on the character as he acts as a protector for C Mulligan's character Irene, wearing his racing jacket with the scorpion Ryan's character embodies an alternate personality which is purely to protect. The golden light complements his attire illuminating the shinny silk material and later in the scene it helps to accentuate the violent movement of his body as he stomps on the assassins face, animalistic even.

Screen Grabs - Crime Scene

 Below are some shots from our exterior crime scene, the shot directly below is how we composed our long take for the film, we agreed on a forward tracking motion to introduce the killer (detective) as he enters in front of the already tracking camera meeting with the drug dealer in the centre of the frame, once the drug dealer is shot and the killer runs out of frame to the left we cued Brad to run into the frame from the right immediately after the killer had just got off screen, Brad would then make his phone call and walk toward the camera, this would be my cue to pull back the camera and begin to track backwards until the extent of the track had been utilised.

The location worked well to compliment the scene as it involves a symmetrical structures both the archway and the paving that runs into the circular centre piece lead by a thin path situated beneath the arch. I feel that this mathematical element compliments the precisely framed long take, generating a more symbolic piece with choreography that seems rather theatrical and unnatural contrasting with the interior interrogation scene.

Above is a still from the tracking movement just mentioned, notice that we have placed both characters either side of the centred tree, this was more a personal preference and aesthetic idea that we had rather than for narrative gain. 

 This shot above is one that I composed as a reverse to Connor Elliot's which forms part of a reverse shot sequence between the two detectives.

 A POF from the body that we used framing both detectives.

Screen Grabs - Interrogation Room

Below are photos i have taken from inside workstation where we constructed our set involving a total of 5 Dedo lamps and a 2 camera setup. 

 To the right we used a Dedo to light the detectives right shoulder, however the majority of the light lighting him comes from the suspended Dedo and left Dedo see Fig2

Fig2 To the left notice two Dedo lights the Dedo closer to the camera at the bottom of the screen is lighting the side of the detective much like in Ridley Scott's 'Blade Runner'. Also note that we used a two camera setup in this scene to reduce the amount of takes, cleverly we kept the cameras crashed in alternating between both a 35mm and 50mm lens cropping out any lamps or tripods. 

As you can see this is the outcome of the lighting setup, I felt that positioning the Dedos in front of the detective rather than on him allow him to lean in and out of the light I told the actor to lean forward when he felt necessary or whenever the dialogue got more intense. The light above helps to highlight the evidence bag in his hand before dropped in front of Brad cueing the lighting change. 

 This is the Dedo suspended from the lighting rail above the desk, for this i placed 2 blue filters as i felt the intense blue would mot only signify Brads innocence but alos the previously mentioned uncomfortableness of the scene.

 This is a shot that was used from my storyboard that i composed and filmed during this scene. I have kept Brads shoulder to the right of the shot giving the detective room relinquishing any pressure on his behalve. The table nicely slips away into a unplanned vignetting, with the table heavily lit from the top light much like in the scene i analysed from 'American Beauty', the light source above is never revealed however plays a strong role in setting the tense tone for the scene therefore un challenged. 

For the shot where the detective throws the evidence bag on the table i kept my shot similar the this one only raising the tripod so gain a better view of the table and frame a slightly larger proportion of the table. 

Robin on the right set up the opposing reverse shot that would be used in conjunction to my shot, we both delegated our shot setup so that both shots would complement the other and not look out of place when cut together, we both agreed that the shot of Brad would be closer to build upon the already uncomfortableness Brad would be feeling.  

Storyboards

Taking inspiration from 'Balde Runner' for my scene in terms of lighting, I feel that the way in in which the DOP had chosen to highlight the edge of the character and leave the majority of them under lit in certain scenes works well as it suggests a feeling of uncertainty again a strong idea that must be conveyed in this scene i've storyboarded. 

Also taking inspiration from the scene in 'American Beauty' which i have previously analysed where by we see Lester fall into a fantasy revolving around the girl in the cheerleader team. The scene becomes highly stylised by the lighting and so i would very mimic like to replicate this notion of the spot light over either the character of Brad or over the wallet once its thrown onto the table. 

Below is a lighting change that I drew up with the recent addition of the lighting rail which was used in a session prior to our shoot, as you can see the lighting rail sits above the interrogation table with a singular Dedo light fixed in the centre. This addition to the already drawn up lighting  plan has aided my idea to spot light the wallet as its thrown onto the table as part of evidence against Brad (suspect).

In terms of lighting gels I planned to use either green or blue for this specific scene as it introduces a strong amount of negativity and awkwardness drawing away from the red which would seem too warm for thus scene despite its conventional use as both anger and lust its not entirely fitting. The use of blue filters in our film will help to suggest the uncomfortable feeling that Brad is dealing with as his patience is tested by the detective. The tone of blue draws naturally away from the inviting mood warm colours reflect, the blue is used by investigative films and television programes as it connotes the idea of being examined like a piece of evidence in a lab, also creating a grittier look, subsequently leading the audience to believe that their is something wrong either preparing for a narrative twist or simply that their is anxiety within the scene.

* Please note that the lights labeled 'kino' are in fact Dedo lights, pleas excuse this labeling error.  

Michael Ballhaus - Goodfellas

Long Take
This scene in the Goodfellas uses a long take that stretches beyond three minutes in it we see gangster Henry Hill take Karen through an alternative entrance to the copacabana restaurant. The camera follows the couple as they make their way through the different areas of the restaurant, the shot is highly choreographed including a mass of extras which adds to the difficultly of pulling a clean cut off, the margine for error is affected by each passer by and delivery of Henry's lines/interaction with the minor characters.  The steadicam operator must also keep a relatively similar distance between himself and the couple without falling behind and getting lost in the set. The shot works as a long take rather than cutting as it becomes an indirect POV of Karen, seeing this side of the Gangster life she is seduced by the money and respect that people show towards her and Henry. The shot is also guilty of suggesting the doors of the lifestyle being opened to Henry and having his whole life ahead of him the shot works on a range of levels developing a detailed ideology and symbolism.

Though the lighting doesn't actively change within the rooms it does differ from room to room, we start off with a green and quickly transition to tones of red through the highly lit kitchen and back into more tones of red before reaching the inside of the copacobana flooded with a red haze of thin smoke and warm lighting. At point 0:56 in the take the wall to the right of Henry Hill appears to be coated in gloss red which to me has a strong relation to the blood shed that he has witnessed and will continue to see over his life as a gangster, he is surrounded by the idea making it seem inescapable. Having this scene shot in a set allows a greater control over the lighting, throughout the majority of the take the cieling isnt in frame providing the lighting technicians a greater freedom when it comes to illuminating the characters as they pass through the hallways and rooms, as having lights on the set floor could be problematic due to the wideness of the camera lens as it captures a vast amount of the set hiding the lamps would prove difficult therefore the reasoning behind the cropped roof is evidently viable. 

Though I have access to a steadicam i believe that its use in our film should be kept to a minimum if not used at at all as i feel that to pull off a successful steadicam shot it takes a great amount of practise and focus pulling ability. Also its use would be wasted on the environment as it seems un fitting and unjustifiable. However a long tracking shot with a slight amount of choreographed action would prove more successful, either a slow tracking forward motion or tracking the length of the track and backwards could be a possibility to explore.